IMAGE: Three female victims shot dead by teenage gunman Raleigh
The victims of the Raleigh teen shooter can be identified today as a 49-year-old mother of three, a woman walking her dog, a neighbor, an off-duty police officer and a 16-year-old boy.
The unexplained shooting happened shortly after 5 p.m. yesterday when the gunman – who has not been named – opened fire on Salahee Way in Raleigh, North Carolina.
There he shot Nicole Connors, who lives on the street. He then made his way to the nearby Neuse River Greenway.
In his frenzy, he also killed Karnatz, a mother of three and an avid runner, and Marshall, who happened to be walking her dog.
Off-duty police officer Gabriel Torres was also shot dead, as was an unidentified 16-year-old boy.
The names of the victims were released by police on Friday, but the gunman, who is in critical condition in hospital, has not yet identified them.
It remains unclear why he committed the murders and whether he was injured when he attempted suicide or if it was the result of a shootout with police.
Witnesses say he “looked like a baby” and was carrying a “long gun” during the shooting. His family has not yet been identified.
The gunman first started shooting on Sahalee Way and then went to the Neuse River Greenway, where he shot some of the victims. He fled to a barn and was taken into custody from there
Nicole Connors’ partner, Tracey, will be escorted out of their home on Salahee Way on Friday. The whole street is treated like a crime scene
Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson speaks at a press conference Friday, October 14, 2022, outside the Avery C. Upchurch Municipal Complex in Raleigh, NC, following a mass shooting on Thursday
Marshall’s partner Robert Steele wrote in a heartbreaking post: ‘The love of my life was murdered last night by a cowardly person. She was shot while walking our dog. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do. My world has been completely destroyed.’
His motive remains unknown and it is not yet clear whether he knew his victims.
Eyewitnesses told WRAL they saw the gunman, dressed in camouflage clothing with a backpack and black boots, squatting and said he was “between 13 and 16 years old.”
“He looked like a baby. I just don’t even have the words to explain it. This is not okay.’
The shootings happened in the street. The gunman then fled to the trail, where he shot some of the victims, before retreating to a barn.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said, “Terror has reached our door tonight. Every community’s nightmare has come to Raleigh.”
Law enforcement officer walks at the entrance to Neuse River Greenway Trail parking lot on Abington Lane after a shooting in Raleigh, NC, Thursday, October 13, 2022
Police remain on the scene at Castle Pines Dr. and Sahalee Way after a shooting Thursday night in Raleigh, NC, on Friday, October 14, 2022. Police say a 15-year-old boy shot and killed at least two people on the street of a neighborhood in the capital of North Carolina, then fled to a hiking trail, where he opened fire and killed and wounded others
Police searched a house near the shooting site, believed to belong to the gunman and his family
Law enforcement officers can be seen at the entrance to the Neuse River Greenway Trail parking lot off Abington Lane, in eastern Raleigh
The police officer’s white car can be seen in an image broadcast by WRAL News in Raleigh
Law enforcement officers block Old Milburnie Road during a shooting in Raleigh, NC, Thursday, October 13, 2022
Raleigh Police Chief Stella Patterson said Friday morning they still don’t know the shooter’s motive
A local resident named Robert said: ‘I heard two gunshots, and they were very loud, so I knew something was close by, and then I heard three more gunshots.
“I actually saw him walk past my house in the backyard. He had a long-barreled shotgun. He was dressed in camouflage. He had on a full backpack that was also camouflage.’
The quiet neighborhood is populated with single-family homes and golf courses.
Mary-Ann Baldwin, the mayor of Raleigh, said the suspect was “incarcerated,” but police would not say if they can communicate with him and his condition is not clear.
In this aerial drone shot, law enforcement officers work at the scene of a shooting in Raleigh, NC, Thursday, October 13, 2022
A heavily armed alcohol police officer near the Hedingham residential area during an active shooting situation in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, October 13, 2022
Law enforcement officers gather outside an armored vehicle at the Aldi on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh after five people were shot and killed in the Hedingham Neighborhood and Nuese River Trail area in Raleigh, NC, Thursday, October 13, 2022
WRAL broadcast images of the scene, in which the off-duty police officer’s car was riddled with bullets.
Baldwin said it was “a sad and tragic day for the city of Raleigh.”
The mayor, visibly shocked, continued, “It’s a tragic day because the Raleigh Police Department has lost one.”
She said more needs to be done to combat gun violence.
We must stop this mindless violence in America. We must tackle gun violence. We have much to do and tonight we have much to mourn.’
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper praised law enforcement officers for their courage, adding, “This is a senseless, outraged and heinous act of violence perpetrated against our community.”
ABC 11 said there was a stalemate, with the suspect barricaded in a shed.
A drone was sent into the shed to try to negotiate with the suspect, but the drone was not working properly, the station said.
Around 5 p.m. a huge emergency service arrived on the scene.
“Raleigh Police are currently at the scene of an active shooting in the Neuse River Greenway area near Osprey Cove Drive and Bay Harbor Drive,” the police tweeted.
‘Residents in that area are advised to stay in their homes.’
Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said gun violence in Raleigh reflects trends across the country.
“I think people are about to get out of a pandemic,” she said.
“I think we have psychological problems that contribute to that as well. I also believe what we are dealing with as a nation: the war in Ukraine, inflation, gas prices.
“All those things combined, I think people want to resolve their differences or their problems with gun violence, instead of maybe taking a break, stepping back and approaching the situation again.”